 "Photo: Jesse DeFlorio/Greyhound")
If the debauchery of Craigsfest (the fastest-growing annual ripoff) did not leave you clinging to your bed praying for death, then you may have taken a walk out to the on quad on Sunday, April 27, to see your tuition money at work. Each year, Loyolapalooza marks the closing of the spring semester with free food, drinks, music and a ton of giant inflatable death traps, and this year was no different.
Though the weather was cold and overcast (it did indeed seem to keep some people at home, further proving a large percentage of Loyola students believe that they may melt in the rain), the students that did come out were in for a great afternoon on the quad.
For this year's senior class, the past spring music fest legacy is as follows: Straylight Run and Dashboard Confessional, Blues Traveler, The Format and Guster. This year rounded out the string of famous performers with State Radio and Matt Nathanson.
In year prior, a precedent has been established that the two headlining bands generally played back-to-back sets. This years' logistical change, the placement of Jump the Gun between State Radio and Nathanson, however, proved to be a substantially strategic rearrangement; it gave the fan favorite student band the opportunity to play in front of a larger crowd for their last show together.
State Radio, formed by Chad Urmston (the former lead singer of Dispatch), is a power rock trio with reggae influences. State Radio brought to the stage slashing guitars and chaotic gyration, something not typically seen in past Dispatch shows.
Becoming more politically active in the past few years, Urmston has separated himself from other Jam-style band musicians who simply turn up the distortion and crank up overt liberal rhetoric. The band takes a strong stand on the issues they believe in, allowing their art to act as a forum for their message. State Radio lyrically infuses their songs with both hope and meaning, the result of which allows them to transcend divisive boundaries that might otherwise polarize their music.
Furthermore, the band has attempted to not only change societal ills through music but through action as well. State Radio has recently become involved in the national struggles of Zimbabwe, particularly the corrupt and seedy election practices currently taking place throughout the country. In this way, the band has used its popularity as a positive means of promoting awareness.
Next to take the stage was Jump the Gun, consisting of Loyola College's own Brian Brutzman, Sean Allocca, Jack O'Connor and Peter Bartels. Amidst the cheers of loyal and new fans alike, the band definitely proved itself worthy of bridging the gap between headliners. Jump the Gun held the crowd's enthusiasm for the entirety of a diverse set, featuring many songs that the band has written themselves.
Matt Nathanson followed with an especially intoxicating presence. He packed the quad as well as his set, interweaving stand up comedy with his own unique brand of composition. In a number of ways, his humor largely usurped his own music, poking fun at everything from Disney World to his Judaism to Brett Michaels and Scott Baio. It was clear from the very beginning that Nathanson is an entertainer at heart. Though his voice was crisp and clean during his ballads, the crowd's attention increased exponentially during his covers of "Jesse's Girl" and "Every Rose has its Thorn."
Overall, his performance was enormously interactive. Not only did he ask the crowd questions (such as what songs he should play), but he also invited comments, pointed out specific members of the audience, and at one point, even brought a student up to the stage so that she could rap alongside him. Even though this backfired when the "rap" took the form of a shout-out to friends, Nathanson rolled with the moment, made several more jokes and continued on with his set. The humor and crowd involvement that his act thrives on between tracks places the audience at a conversational ease, making his shows enjoyable even if you do not necessarily know his music.
Before State Radio's 1:30 p.m. show we were able to catch up with Urmston, Chuck Fay and Mike Najarian.
Greyhound: What are your creative processes? How do you go about writing your songs? State Radio: Sort of sketches bring it all together and see if it all fits. It varies sometimes it's a melody or lyric or a chord progression. It just changes.
GH: We were wondering about your political stance. What is the one thing that is important for you right now? SR: It changes. It might be an individual thing for each one of us. I [Chuck] want to bring the troops home stat. We usually talk a lot about the genocide in Darfur.
GH: What are your thoughts on the upcoming election then? SH: I don't know. I guess I like Nader but Democrat is better than Republican at this stage.
GH: Is there anything about AVAAZ.org that you want to talk about. Anything Loyola students should know? SR: Zimbabwe is in the midst of a stalled election. The process is disintegrating and its teetering on total chaos and blood shed so it's a pretty wild time. Each day that goes by the opposition party is not given its proper, it's just really dangerous. The party the incumbent is just trying to intimidate people into keeping them in power. There killing people.
GH: If you had to spend eternity jamming with any one musician who would it be? SR: Um wow. Burt Baccarat or Hendrix.
GH: Who would you not want to spend eternity with? SR: [laughing] Chuck Fay.
GH: What about venue? Is this the kind you enjoy? Bigger? Smaller? SR: I think we typically like the sort of bar venue. Just like the sweaty mess. It's a more forgiving environment.
GH: So you just released an album last year. Any plans for the future? SR: Record in the fall and just keep touring until we disintegrate.
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